Web-supplying apparatus



E. W. STACEY WEB SUPPLYING APPARATUS Original Filed Feb. 1, 1932 March 17, 1936.

March 17, 1936.- E. w. S-TACEY 2,034,063

WEB SUPPLYING APPARATUS Original Filed Feb. 1, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 A/l/E/vm/ i March 17, 1936. E. w. s'rAcEY I 9 3 WEB SUPPLYING APPARATUS Original Fil ed Feb. 1, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.4

March 17, 1936. E. w. STACEY 4 2,034,063

WEB SUPPLYING APPARATUS Original Filed Feb. 1, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 March 17, 1936. E. w. STACEY 2,034,063

WEB SUPPLYING APPARATUS Original Filed Feb. 1, 1932 5 Sheets-.Shet 5 Patented Mar. 17, 1936 WEB-SUPPLYING APPARATUS Ernest W. Stacey, Beverly, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Original application February 1, 1932, Serial No.

Divided and this application April 3, 1933, Serial No. 664,190

14 Claims. (01. 242-55) This invention relates to apparatus for feeding or supplying webs of sheet-rubber, or like material, to mechanisms which are to operate upon them. It is especially designed for the delivery of rubber in web-form to means for producing therefrom soles for shoes, as disclosed in an application for improvements in Apparatus for operating on rubber stock and like material, filed in my name in United States Patent Oflice on February 1, 1932, and bearing the Serial No. 590,109, the present case being a division thereof. Certain features of the unreeling mechanism disclosed herein are covered by claims of an application for Letters Patent of the United States for improvements in Systems for delivering sheet-material, filed in my name on December 16, 1930, Serial No. 502, 39. The last-mentioned case, on December 25, 1934, became Patent No. 1,985,524.

My invention has as an object the provision of simple and effective apparatus, whereby such a feed asabove indicated may be caused without strain upon the material, a constant supply to an operating mechanism being insured regardless of the rate at which said mechanism acts or the size of the articles produced. To this end, I provide apparatus having, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, unreeling mechanism by which a web of rubber or other stock is supplied to feeding mechanism for such operating means as cutting mechanism which severs work-pieces from the stock. The operating mechanism, as disclosed, acts intermittently, the feeding means advancingthe stock step by step in proper timerelation for the actions upon it. To relieve the more or less weak or flaccid stock from strain in its delivery, it is illustrated as unwound from a supply-reel, upon which it is preferably coiled with one or more separators, by a force applied to a separator and novel means governed by the stock itself, which stock may be caused to assume the form of a delivery-controlling loop variable in position. The unreeling action is thus rendered independent of the length of the feeding steps, which change with the size of the soles or otherwork produced. There is further believed to be patentable novelty, regardless of a particular application, in the manner in which the 1mreeling mechanism is driven and controlled.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a particular embodiment of my invention. In these drawings,

, Figs. 1 and 2, placed with the sheets end to end and Fig. 1 at the left, show the entire apparatus in broken side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional detail illustrating the actuating means for the stock-feeding belt and roll;

Fig. 4 is a broken end elevation of the unreeling mechanism viewed from the right of Fig. 1;

Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentary perspective views of said unreeling mechanism;

Fig. '7 is a sectional detail upon the line VII-VII of Fig. 5; I

Figs. 8 and 9 are similar views upon the line V'1]IVIII of Fig. 6 and line IX--1X of Fig. 5, re- 10 spectively;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged broken detail in elevation of the feeding mechanism, looking from the left in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 11, a-full vertical section taken longitudil6 nally of the apparatus.

The illustrated apparatus includes six co-opcrating mechanisms, appearing in Figs. 1 and 2. The first of these, designated as A, unreels webmaterial, as rubber stock with a design previously 20 formed upon one side, from which soles or other work-pieces are to be cut, the delivery being so controlled that the material is presented to the succeeding intermittently acting feeding mecha nism B without being subjected to stresses pro- 25 duced by drawing it from the reel. The unreeled material is advanced by the feeding mechanism, 1 and, while still in web-form, is subjected to the action of embossing mechanism C, which produces upon the areas from which the soles are to be out such designs as trade-marks and sizedesignations. Cutting mechanism D, with which is associated a portion of the feeding mechanism, severs the soles one by one from the web, this being in efiective operation during periods of 35 rest of the feeding'mechanism. Separating and conveying mechanism E removes the cut pieces and scraps from the cutting mechanism by separate paths. The apparatus, save for the unreeling mechanism A which is independently actuated, 40 receives power from driving mechanism F. (Fig. 11).

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 4 to 9, inclusive, the unreeling mechanism A is shown as carried upon a wheel-truck or base 30, which is 45 alined with a frame 32 supporting the other mechanisms. From the base rises a frame consisting of spaced vertical uprights 34, 34 and upwardly and inwardly inclined members 36, 36, together with whatever tying and bracing members may 50 l 48, from which shaft the rolls are driven through I sprocket-gearing 68. Springs 69 connecting the' of one of the cheeks of the reel. This reel, when supplied to the apparatus, contains a coil of material R to be operated upon, this, in the present instance, being a continuous web of rubber stock. Since this stock, when freshly calendered, is relatively soft, the convolutions of the coil are held out of contact. 'with one another by separating means, here shown as two in number. One of these, designated as L, has spaced transverse slats 39 extending between sprocket-chains M. This furnishes a spiral cell, in which the material is held without substantial pressure upon its opposite faces. I prefer to further protect the stock by winding with it a web Z of textile material or liner, this guarding the stock at its inner side against indentation by the slats of the separator L.

As the stock is advanced by the feeding mechanism B to the embossing mechanism C and cutting mechanism D, it is unreeled by forces applied to the separators only as it is required, the time of this action being determined by the condition of a slack loop depending at 1" between the mechanisms A and B. For this purpose, the chains ll of the separator L are engaged at points between the supply-reel and a reel fill by which said separator is to be received by sprocket-wheels 42, t2 fast upon a horizontal shaft 45 rotatable in brackets mounted upon the frame members 36. The sprocket-wheels 52 are so located that the separator L after leaving the supply-reel M is inclined downwardly and forwardly, offering a continuous support to the soft stockuntil it reaches the loop r. The shaft M is joined by a chain 66 of spur-gearing and a friction device ll (Fig. 7) to a countershaft #38 journaled across the frame members 35, said counter-shaft receiving power from a motor 5Q upon the base 38 through belt-gearing 52, a friction-clutch 54 (Fig. 9), reduction-gearing contained within a casing 56 and sprocket-gearing .58. As the separator L is drawn ofl by the rotation of the sprocket-wheels '42, it is wound upon the reel 60, the spindle of which turns in bearings 62 upon the uprights 35 below the supply-reel 6B. Rotation is imparted to the reel 60 to coil upon it the separator L by grooved rolls 65, 64 rotatable upon arms 86 arranged to turn about the shaft arms and frame draw the rolls 64 into driving engagement with the reel 60. For convenience in removing and replacing this reel, there is illustrated means for temporarily drawing the rolls 64 away from the reel-cheeks with which they contact. This means may consist of a crank-shaft I0 journaled across the frame above the rolls 66 and having its cranked portions joined to the arms 66 by links 12. An actuating crank '15 may be turned by the operator through such an angle that the rolls will be elevated to free the reel, the parts being held in this relation until restored by the operator by engagement of the crank with 'a fixed pin I6 on the frame.

I At the same time the separator L is drawn ofi, as just described, the liner Z is wound upon a core 18 supported by the squared inner ends of opposite spindles and 82 rotatable in bearings in the frame below the shaft 44. The spindle 80 is turned by sprocket-gearing 8 3 from the shaft 66 through a friction device 86 (Fig. 8). To facilitate the removal and replacement of the core, the spindle 82 is longitudinally movable in its bearing 88 to separate it from the opposite spindle, being releasably held in its core-supporting position by a latch 90 pivoted upon the bearing 88 and entering a circumferential groove in the spindle. Moreover, this bearing is trunnioned upon the ends of screws 92, so it may be turned about a vertical axis and thus allow the core to be swung out of alinement with the spindle 80. After releasi the latch, the spindle 82 may he slid through its bearing to the left. (Fig. 4) until the core is free from the spindle 80, and then the spindle 82 and the core turned upon the trunnions. This permits the core to be removed without interference.

To control the unreeling of the stock R by force applied to the countershaft 48 as determined by the condition of the loop r'of stock, there is situated above the center of this loop a roll 94 upon the end of a long substantially horizontal lever-arm 96 projecting from a fulcrumshaft 98 turning in the frame. A short arm I00, fast upon the fulcrum-shaft, extends above the upper extremity of a vertical rod m2 mounted to reciprocate upon the gear-case 56 (Fig. 5). The lower end of the rod rests upon a horizontal arm of a lever EM, a vertical arm of which actuates the movable member of the clutch 56. As appears in Fig. 1 of the drawings, when there is a substantial length of the stock in the loop 1', so the feeding mechanism B may draw from it without the necessity for unreeling additional stock, the loop hangs clear of the roll 9 and the weight of-the lever-arm $6 removes the arm 860 from the rod 32. The clutch 5 3 at this time slips, and the unreeling system is at rest. This continues until the advance of the stock for embossing and cutting raises the loop against the roll, turning the arms 96 and EM anti-clockwise (Fig. 1). This, with the requirement of small expenditure of energy, because of the excess of length of the arm 96 over the arm m0, forces down the rod 892, actuating the lever HM to produce engagement of the clutch 54. The shaft 48 is thereby rotated and, through the gearing it, turns the sprocketwheels 32. These, by their action upon the chains 8! of the separator L, rotate the reel 3% at a substantially constant speed, to draw therefromthe separator and stock smoothly and uniformly regardless of intermittencies of feed, so the flaccid stock is not endangered by spinning of the reel. This drawing off of said stock lengthens the loop r and frees the controlling elements to release the clutch 5d and stop the unreeling. During this delivery of the stock, the separator L is being simultaneously wound upon its reel $6 by the action of the rolls 6%, the friction ti slipping as the coil accumulates. In the same manner, the liner 1 is coiled upon the core '18, and its increasing diameter is compensated for by the slipping of the friction 86. The reels 40, 60, and 78 are simultaneously controlled in their action by their connection to the countershaft 48. This goes on until the stock R upon the reel W has become ex-=' hausted. The empty stock-reel and the two coils of separator are thereupon removed from their supports and replaced by a full reel to and empty reels 60 and 18, and repeated,

The feeding mechanismB is shown as in two sections. Journaled in brackets across the inthe unreeling operatlon coming end 'of the frame 32 is a feeding roll H8 (Figs. 2 and 11), which draws forward the unreeled stock, elevating it from the loop 1'. An i idler-roll H2, rotatable below the roll H8, is so located as to increase the peripheral engagement of the stock with the feed-roll, and also serves to guide the stock to determine the lateral position of the web with respect to the embossing mechanism C and cutting mechanism D. For the latter purpose, the roll H2 has guide-flanges H4, H4

positioned as desired longitudinally of the roll for webs of difierent widths. These flanges contact with the edges of the web being fed and retain it in the correct path. From the roll II the stock proceeds along a horizontal table H8 at the top of the frame 32 through the embossing mechanism 0 and upon a feeding belt I20, which, in addition to advancing the stock, provides a surface upon which the mechanism D makes it cut. The belt I20, of rag-stock or other relatively soft penetrable material, operates over a driving roll I22 and a guide-roll I23, these having shafts I24 and I25, respectively, journaled horizontally in the frame 32. A horizontal run I26 of the belt between these rolls supports the stock for each cutting operation, and then advances it to present another area to the cutting mechanism. From the rolls I22 and I23, the belt I20 passes about a lower guideand tension-roll I28, its path being generally triangular.

To transmit power intermittently from the driving mechanism F to the feeding belt I20 and roll I I0, said mechanism has a lever I60, which is continuously'oscillated, as will later appear, upon a short horizontal shaft I62 (Figs. 3 and rotatable at one side of the frame, and which furnishes its fulcrum. Guided for adjustment lon-.

gitudinally of the curved upper arm I6I of lever.

I60 is a block I63 joined by a link I64 to an arm I66. The lever-arm I6 I is curved substantially on an arc of which the pivotal connection between the link I64 and arm I66 is a center. Said arm I66, through a Horton or other one-way clutch I68 carried by the shaft I24, rotates the roll I22 step by step in one direction to advance the belt I and thus the stock through the mechanisms C and D. From the shaft I24, sprocket-gearing I10 turns the shaft I of roll I23, while by way of sprocket-gearing I12, an idle shaft I14 and.

sprocket-gearing I16, the feed-roll H0 is rotated to lift the stock from the loop 1' in steps of the same length as said stock is advanced by the belt The length of the feeding steps, and therefore the spacing along the web of the areas from which soles of diiferent sizes may be out, is determined by the adjustment of the block I63. Asshown in Figs. 2 and 3, the block has, movable in slots formed in it and extending transversely of the lever-arm I 6|, a nut I18 to receive a screw I80 arranged to turn upon the lever I60. The lower end of this screw is joined by bevel-gearing I82 and spur-gearing I86 to a sleeve I88 capable of rotation about the shaft I62 and having integral with it a hand-wheel I90. Splined to the shaft I62 to move longitudinally thereof, so it may be forced against the hand-Wheel, is a collar I9I. The collar and hand-Wheel may be clamped together by a hand-nut I92 threaded upon the end of the shaft I62. The edge of the collar, which is inclined, preferably bears an index-mark I94 (Fig. 2), along which may move a scale I 96upon the face of the hand-wheel. The scale may he graduated in sole-sizes. With the nut loosened, the hand-wheel may be turned until the sizemark for the sole which is to be produced is brought into registration with the index-mark. Through the gearing I86 and I82, this will rotate the screw I80 and thus movethe block I63 until such a throw is imparted to the arm I66 as to give the correct length of feed-step. The setting having been made, the hand-wheel is locked against rotary displacement upon the shaft by the nut I92. Sincethe feed-roll H0 is driven from the shaft of the' belt-roll I22, the speed of which may be altered in the manner just indicated, the rate of rotation of the roll is similarly varied. Therefore, whatever adjustment is made,

it affects the two portions of the feed mechanism in the same way, so the web of stock is advanced uniformly. On account of the curvature of the lever-arm I 6I and- ,the capacity for relative transverse movement between the block I63 and screw I80, the shifting of the block along the lever-arm does not move the arm I66. Consequently in making the feed-adjustment, the operator is not compelled to turn the various elements actuated by said arm I66.

The driving mechanism F, receiving power from an electric motor 552, is geared to a shaft 224 extending transversely of the frame 32. A crank 225 rotated by this shaft has a pin 226 entering a slot 221 in the lever I60, oscillating this to produce intermittent feed of the material through the mechanism B, as just described. Connections to the shaft 224 also operate the embossing, cutting and conveying mechanisms, the manner in which this is accomplished not being important in the present connection, though it is to be noted that they act intermittently, remaining out of operating engagement with the material while this feed is taking place.

. The manner of operation of the material-supplying means will be obvious from what has already been explained. It .is particularly desired to emphasize the fact that the feed by the mechanism B is without direct effect upon the unreeling mechanism A. The latter is at all times governed by the length of the loop 1', it acting through the controlling lever 96 and the clutch 54 to apply power for uncoiling the stock from the supply-reel '40 and coiling the separators upon the receiving reels and 18. Under no condition does the feeding mechanism impose any deforming force upon the stock, and a'suflicient amount of said stock from which to feed is continually maintained unreeled in the loop r without adjustment, regardless of the frequency of action of the operating means and of the size of the soles being cut, and therefore of the length of the feeding steps. Having described the invention, what. I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: Y 1. In an apparatus of the class described, means for intermittently feeding stock, a rotatable supply-reel for the stock and a separator coiled therewith, a rotatable separator-receiving reel,

means for rotating the supply-reel to unwind the stock therefrom and advance it toward the intermittently operating feeding means, means other than the supply-reel-rotating means for rotating the receiving reel to wind the separator, an means governed by the unwound stock for controlling the winding of the separator and the unwinding of said stock.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, means for intermittently feeding stock, a rotatable supply-reel for the stock and a separator coiled therewith, a rotatable separator receiving reel, means for rotating the supply-reel to unwind the stock therefrom and advance it toward the intermittently operating feeding means, means other than the supply-reel-rotating means for rotating the receiving reel to wind the separator, a loop forming in the stock between the supply-reel and feeding means during. the unwinding, and a lever movable by the loop of stock and arranged to control both the elements of the supply-reelrotating means and the elements of the receivingreel-rotating means.

' stock, said reel being provided with spaced cheeks,

an arm pivoted adjacent to each end of the receiving reel, a driving roll rotatable upon each arm for contact with the corresponding cheek, means for rotating the rolls, a shaft journaled above the receiving reel and having two crankportions, and a link joining each arm to a crankportion.

5. In combination, a rotatable reel for rubber stock and a separator, means for drawing the separator from the supply-reel and advancing the stock, there being a loop formed in the advancing stock, driving means, connections arranged to transmit the force of the driving means to the drawing means and variable from an active position in which they eifect such transmission to an inactive position in which the driving means is disconnected from said drawing means, and means acting under the influence of the loop of stock for actuating the connections.

6. In combination, a rotatable reel for rubber stock and a separator, means for drawing the separator from the supply-reel and advancing the stock, there being a loop formed in the advancing stock, driving means, connections includingafriction clutch between the driving means and the separator-drawing means, a controlling lever movable by the loop of stock, and connections through which movement of the lever is communicated to' the clutch to shift said clutch.

7. In combination, a rotatable reel for rubber stock and a separator, means for drawing the separator from the supply-reel and advancing the stock, there being a loop formed in the advancing stock, driving means, connections including a friction clutch between the driving means and the separator-drawing means, a controlling lever movable by the loop of stock, a clutch-lever, and connections through which the controlling lever acts directly upon the clutch-lever to govern the shifting of the clutch in opposite directions.

8. In combination, a rotatable reel for rubber stock and a separator, a rotatable receiving reel upon which the separator is wound, separatordrawing means situated between the supply-reel and receiving reel and advancing the stock from said supply-reel, there being a loop formed in the advancing stock, means for driving the separatordrawing means, and means movable by the loop for controlling the driving means.

9. In combination, a rotatable reel for rubber stock and a separator, said separator including a chain, a sprocket-wheel engaging the separatorchain, means for driving the sprocket-wheel to draw the separator and stock from the reel and advance said stock, there being a loop formed in the advancing stock, and means movable by the loop for controlling the driving means.

10. In combination, a rotatable reel for rubber stockand a separator, said separator including achain, a sprocket-wheel engaging the separator-chain, means for driving the sprocket-wheel to draw the separator and stock from the reel and advance said stock, there being a loop formed in the advancing stock, a clutch through which the sprocket-wheel is driven, a lever movable by the loop of stock, and connections between the lever and clutch.

11. In an apparatus of the class described, means for intermittently feeding stock, a rotatable supply-reel for the stock and a separator coiled therewith, a rotatable separator-receiving reel, means for rotating the supply-reel at a sub-- stantially constant speed to unwind the stock and separator therefrom and advance said stock toward the intermittently operating feeding means, and means governed by the unwound stock for controlling the unwinding of said stock.

12. In an apparatus of the class described, means for intermittently feeding stock, a rotatable supply-reel for the stock and a separator coiled therewith, a rotatable separator-receiving reel, means engaging the separator at a point between the supply reel and the separator-receiving reel for rotating said supply-reel to unwind the stock therefrom to receive the action of the feeding means, and means governed by the unwound stock for controlling the unwinding of said stock.

13. In an apparatus of the class described, means for intermittently feeding stock,arotata-ble supply-reel for the stock and a separator coiled therewith, a rotatable separator-receiving reel, means for rotating the supply-reel to unwind the stock and separator therefrom and advance said stock, a loop being formed in the stock between the supply-reel and the feeding means during the unwinding, the separator from the supply-reel being inclined downwardly and forwardly and oifering continuous support for the stock until it reaches the loop, and a member movable by the loop of stock and arranged to control the unwinding of the stock and separator from the supply-reel.

14. In combination, a rotatable supply-reel for rubber stock and a separator, a rotatable receiving reel situated below the supply-reel and upon which the separator is wound, and means located between the supply-reel and the receiving reel for drawing the separator from the supply-reel and advancing the stock, the path of the separator between the supply-reel and the drawing means being downwardly and forwardly inclined to furnish a support beneath the unwound stock.

ERNEST W. STACEY. 

